Double Trouble
by jylener22
Summary: Detective Ichigo Kurosaki is called in to investigate a murder identical to several in the past. Ichigo slowly comes to the realization that neither he nor his fellow officers know how to deal with the situation, but he is reluctant to accept help from a woman who says ghosts are responsible for the killings.
1. The Scene

"Kurosaki speaking."

"Detective Kurosaki?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"My name is Officer Hanataro Yamada and I wasn't sure who to call, so I radioed for assistance and told other officers to get to this crime scene and they've taken over-"

"Yamada."

"Yes sir?"

"Get to the point."

"Oh right. Well, when the other officers got here one of them said that I should call you and ask you to get down here right away."

"Oh, they did, did they? Who told you to call me, exactly?"

"Umm, Officer Abarai."

"I see. So Renji told you to call me just as I'm getting ready to clock out. Typical. Well, you can just go tell that conniving prankster baboon that he can go fly a kite."

"I'm sorry sir, I don't understand."

"Yamada, I'm going home. I've been working nearly 24 hours straight wrapping up some important cases and to be perfectly honest, right now I'm barely able to force myself to stay awake long enough to finish our conversation, so if you don't mind-"

"Wait Detective Kurosaki!"

"What?! Didn't I just say that I-"

"Officer Abarai said to tell you he's back."

"…What?"

"Umm, Officer Abarai said-"

"I heard you Yamada. Are you sure Renji said those exact words? 'He's back'."

"Yes. But he said to tell you something else."

"What else?"

"He's not alone."

"…Tell me where."

* * *

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While the drive from the station to the crime scene should have only taken fifteen minutes at most, Detective Ichigo Kurosaki arrived half an hour after his talk with Officer Yamada. Early morning rush hour was just getting under way and a number of drivers had been more than slightly reluctant to pull over like they were supposed to do when they heard police sirens. If he had cared to look, Ichigo would have seen several drivers giving him dirty looks as he was making them even more late to work…at least to their minds.

The moment he stepped out of his car, the only indication that Ichigo hadn't slept in a while was the fact that his clothes were creased and wrinkled from wearing them for a while, but they were still clean and neat looking otherwise. Officers and crime scene technicians who had been around for a while knew that Ichigo scowled a lot and could be borderline hostile in manner at times, but also knew that he was fair, honest and, most important, really good at his job. They knew that if he needed something, he'd let them know, but otherwise to just stay out of his way.

That is why they all held their breath as they saw the newbie, Officer Hanataro Yamada, step forward to greet the scowling detective.

Sticking out his hand, Hanataro said with a slight quaver in his voice, "You must be Detective Kurosaki. I'm Officer Yamada."

When Ichigo didn't react but merely stood there looking at Hanataro, the young officer started shifting his weight as he tried a different tact, "I'm the one who called you a little while back. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ichigo continued to stare passively at the shorter officer for a few more seconds before he grunted, "Yeah, I figured as much," and then reached out to grasp Hanataro's hand very briefly. Inaudibly, everyone around sighed with relief.

After he let go of Hanataro's hand, Ichigo's eyes hardened and he said simply, "Show me."

Nodding furiously, Hanataro said, "Of course. Right this way."

They did not walk far, but the actual crime scene was located in an alleyway so the general public had no hope of seeing the gruesome scene. For one to think they have a strong stomach when they are able to watch all sorts of gory things happening in a movie or television show does not actually mean they do. Coming face to face with the reality of human depravity once in a lifetime is more than most people could handle…for Ichigo, this would be the third time he saw depravity of this sort.

As they rounded the corner, Ichigo's eyes focused almost entirely on taking in all information the scene had to offer at first glance, but he easily identified one man and greeted him coolly, "Renji."

Under different circumstances, Renji might have come up with a retort, but he simply said, "Hanataro told you he found the body, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it," replied Ichigo as he carefully stepped around some technicians who were snapping final photos of the scene before he asked, "Where is it?"

Instead of answering Ichigo directly, Renji turned to one of the technicians and asked, "Where'd the letter go?"

Taking another photo, the technician then looked up at Renji before pointing to a box and saying, "I bagged it myself after I had photographed its position in the man's pocket. It should be in there now."

"Thanks," said Renji as he made his way over to the box and shuffled through a few other evidence bags before pulling out a letter and handing it to Ichigo, saying, "Here."

Ichigo took it without another word and read through the letter two or three times as he muttered incomprehensively to himself. Finally, he looked up and gave Renji a hard stare, which the other returned.

Finally, Ichigo broke the silence hanging between them by saying, "You told Yamada that he's not alone this time. What makes you think that? This letter sounds just like the others to me."

Crossing his arms, Renji blew out a long breath before he replied, "Last night there was another murder. A woman was stabbed through the heart."

Blinking in surprise, Ichigo replied flatly, "Not the same M.O. Not even close."

"Maybe not cause of death," conceded Renji, "but…"

"But?" inquired Ichigo.

"Same kind of strange knife or weapon was used. The woman's boyfriend is the prime suspect. He claims he didn't do it. And…"

"And?!" pressed Ichigo in a tone that said he really didn't want to play games right then.

"There was a letter. And it was signed by 'Nikuyoku'."

"What?!" exclaimed Ichigo before he ran his hand irritably through his hair and ground out, "Why wasn't I told sooner?"

"Hey, hey. Take it easy. I was only just called in because I happened to be in the area. Keep in mind that you, the chief and I are really the only ones who know what's going on. Everyone else has either transferred elsewhere, retired or is working other cases."

"Be that as it may," snapped Ichigo, "last time we were always two steps behind him. Now, it seems as though Nikuyoku isn't just a figment of his imagination, but someone who exists and wants to wreck just as much havoc as Kouman has before."

"And that brings me to something else I wanted to tell you."

Completely nonplussed by Ichigo's ever darkening scowl, Renji said, "Just before you got here, I got a call from a guy at the lab. One of the techs had already started uploading photos of the scene into the database, so this guy had started analyzing them along with the other crime scene photos from the day before."

Taking a second to sneeze, Renji then went on, "On a whim, the guy decided to dig around to see if he could find any unsolved murders with the same M.O.'s."

"He found something," cut in Ichigo.

"Of course he did," scoffed Renji before he asked, "but can you guess how long these two have been at it?"

When Ichigo merely stared at Renji, he sighed and said, "It seems as though Kouman and Nikuyoku have been happily murdering poor men and women in the name of love for the past thirteen years or so."

"What?! How come no one's ever pieced this together before?"

"Well," said Renji simply, "while most of them probably considered looking within their own country for similar murders, they never thought to piece the two crimes together and they certainly didn't consider the possibility of these two nuisances hop-skipping around the world to commit their crimes."

Before Ichigo could say anything, Renji went on, "Our guy in the lab was able to find some more interesting things we ought to know."

"Such as?"

"Kouman won't kill tonight because it's Nikuyoku's turn. They alternate nights and there will be four victims total before they disappear."

"Anything else?"

"A couple more things. This is the first time they are actually picking their victims in the same general vicinity as the other. Before, one might kill in Spain while the other would be in Brazil, however, they always managed to kill their victims on alternating days and time of death was around 1:30 in the morning."

"How is that possible?"

"Not sure, but one more thing."

"What?"

"The primary suspect is always the wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend since they were with the victim last and they have no alibi or memory of what happened."

"Yeah, but they claim that they didn't do it because they dreamt about a ghost killing the victim. So?"

"The guy also found records on the first victim from fifteen years ago. He had a younger sister named Orihime Inoue."

"Yeah, so?"

"She claimed that she saw the ghost that killed her brother. The description matches what the suspect told police at the time."

Sighing deeply, Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck and said ruefully, "You're driving."

**Author's Note:**

Can't say much at this point since I really need to get to bed, but if this doesn't make sense, just ask me questions and I'll do my best to answer!


	2. The House Call

The car ride to Orihime Inoue's home was uneventful and Ichigo allowed himself to power nap for the entire twenty minutes. As soon as Renji pulled the car into the short drive-way, however, Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he sat up looking as alert as ever.

Turning to Ichigo, Renji reached into his backseat and then handed Ichigo a thick file as he said, "Might want to skim this before you meet her."

Frowning, Ichigo accepted the file even as he grumbled, "Why? It's been thirteen years. The facts haven't changed since then."

"That's exactly it," replied Renji, "She's not a suspect by any stretch of the imagination, but as one of the department's best interrogators, I'm surprised you'd want to walk in there with no information on the interviewee."

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo opened the door and made a big show of perusing the papers inside the folder as he stepped out. Shaking his own head in amusement, Renji got out, locked the car and led the way to the front door. After Renji rang the doorbell, it was a few seconds before they heard the sound of the door being unlocked.

When the door opened, a young woman looked straight at Renji and asked, "Yes? How can I help you?"

"Excuse our coming so early," said Renji politely, "but we are looking for Orihime Inoue."

"I am she," replied Orihime, "What can I do for you?"

Pulling out his badge, Renji showed it to her as he said, "I am Detective Renji Abarai and this," here he pointed to Ichigo as he said, "is Detective Ichigo Kurosaki. If it's not too much of an…Miss? Are you all right?"

When Renji had introduced Ichigo, automatically Orihime's gaze had shifted towards Ichigo. However, as she continued to take in Ichigo's appearance, Orihime's already naturally wide eyes had opened beyond normal human proportions and her expression had turned from one of courtesy to shock and borderline terror.

Turning her eyes back to Renji, Orihime opened her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. Next moment, she collapsed in a heap on her own floor.

"Hey!" cried out Renji as he reached out to yank on the screen door only to find it securely latched from the inside, "Dratted door!"

Shoving in next to Renji, Ichigo said decidedly, "On three."

Catching Ichigo's drift, Renji said ruefully, "This had better not come out of my paycheck."

Ignoring the comment, Ichigo counted down quickly, "One, two, three!"

Together, Renji and Ichigo rammed their shoulders against the door. They had been careful to use just enough force to jar the door loose from its frame and not send it crashing down on top of the unconscious female.

As soon as they had overcome that obstacle, they both knelt down beside Orihime. Taking charge, Ichigo reached out to check for a pulse and to briefly inspect for any possible breaks or serious bumps to the head.

"She seems to be all right," said Ichigo after a few seconds, "but let's get her out of the front hall."

Scanning around them quickly, Renji pointed and said, "That looks like a living room or something."

Looking where Renji had indicated, Ichigo nodded in agreement and then ever so carefully slipped his arms underneath Orihime. Walking swiftly, Ichigo laid her down on one of the couches. Hearing sounds coming from another room, Ichigo assumed that Renji had gone off in search of the kitchen or bathroom to get something for Orihime. In the meantime, he had enough time to take in Orihime's appearance.

If he had to guess, he might have put her age at around twenty-three or twenty-two, so a little younger than himself. Her hair was long, longer than most as it nearly reached her waist. Her face was pretty enough and he had to admit that from what he could tell, she had a good figure.

What struck him as rather odd was that she was wearing a full-length nightgown. While he was by no means an expert on women's choices of nightdress, he couldn't recall either of his sisters ever wearing anything other than regular pj's. To his mind, Ichigo didn't think many women wore nightgowns anymore, but he was grateful that Orihime had thought ahead enough to wear a robe overtop for modesty's sake.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Ichigo didn't think too much about it until he heard a voice that was not Renji's demand frostily, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Turning around and automatically laying his hand over his gun resting in its holster, Ichigo saw the newcomer and demanded in an irritated tone, "What are you doing here, Uryu?"

Advancing slowly, Uryu replied coldly, "You didn't answer my question. What did you do to Orihime?"

Scowling, Ichigo retorted, "Nothing."

"Oh really?" asked Uryu, "That's not the impression I'm getting from the busted door and Orihime lying unconscious. What happened?"

Deciding to reappear at that exact moment, Renji answered as he walked over to lay a cloth on Orihime's forehead, "All I did was introduce Ichigo and myself and next thing we know, she's hitting the floor. The screen door was latched from the inside, so we busted it down to check on her and then Ichigo carried her over here."

Frowning in consternation, Uryu said, "That doesn't make sense."

Feeling his patience wearing thin, Ichigo snapped, "Well, that's how it happened."

Gazing icily at Ichigo, Uryu said just as shortly, "I meant Orihime isn't the fainting kind. Her reaction doesn't make sense."

Crossing his arms and looking at Uryu pointedly, Ichigo shot back, "Well, you're the doctor, so you figure it out."

Giving Ichigo a withering look, Uryu retorted, "You know perfectly well that I am a psychiatrist and not that kind of doctor."

"Hey guys," interjected Renji.

"What?!" exclaimed both men simultaneously.

With an ill-concealed smirk, Renji said, "Fainting Beauty awakens."

Turning and looking down at the occupant of the couch, Ichigo and Uryu saw that Renji was right. Orihime's eyes were once again wide open.

His gaze and voice softening considerably, Uryu asked, "How do you feel, Orihime?"

Opening and shutting her mouth a few times, Ichigo was half afraid she was going to pass out again, but instead, this time words came tumbling out of her like water from a broken pipe.

"I'm so sorry and so embarrassed! That has never happened to me before and I can't believe you had to go to the trouble of bringing me over here and I can't possibly express just how sorry I am to inconvenience you al-oh…"

As she had been talking, Orihime had tried to lift herself up, but discovered that she was still light headed and so sank back into the couch.

Dragging a chair over so that he was next to Orihime's head, Uryu said firmly, "That's what you get for trying to sit up before you're ready."

Giving Uryu a pleading look, Orihime beseeched him, "But I feel all right now!" but when Uryu continued to give her a pointed stare, Orihime scrunched up her body and said with a pout, "Fine, I won't try to get up until you tell me too."

"That's better," said Uryu with the slightest hint of a grin before he turned back to Renji and Ichigo and asked, "So, just what did you want to speak with Orihime about?"

Ichigo was about to reply when he saw Orihime's eyes widen again at the sight of him and he instead said with more vehemence than he would have used normally, "Don't you dare faint again! You look as if you think I'm going to attack you or something!"

In a small voice, Orihime said simply, "I thought you were him."

"Who?"

"The ghost who murdered my brother."

**Author's Note:**

I know this is short, but if I make it any longer, it will not be posted tonight. So I decided to make it a decent length and then just post it so that when I come back I can move on to the next part.

Now, I have a bit of time and so can give a bit more information about this story.

This is a story that I was commissioned to write by Rosiechan-17 for winning a contest. While I only needed to make this a three-shot story, I highly doubt that with these last two chapters' lengths that it will be that short. Just like with Strength, I don't think it will last longer than 10, but we'll have to see.

As for the inspiration for this story, I doubt many people will know what I am talking about, but I got the idea from a radio drama entitled 'The Grey Lady'. It is a drama produced by a company called Focus On the Family and it is from a series called 'The Father Gilbert Mysteries'. It's a drama I've listened to before, but when I heard it again this past weekend after not having heard it in a while, I was inspired with this story.

Anyway, hope you are intrigued so far and a huge thank you to all my wonderful reviewers and followers! You guys are more fantastic than I can express here. Thank you so much!


	3. The Conference

Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Bemused. All accurate descriptions of the kind of silence that had fallen over the group before it was broken by Uryu.

"Are you sure, Orihime? It has been fifteen years after all."

For the first time, Orihime's eyes flashed in irritation as she said, "Of course I'm sure!"

Looking back at Ichigo, Orihime went on quickly, "But I'm not saying you are the man. In fact, I know now for sure you couldn't possibly be him."

Scowling fiercer than ever, Ichigo demanded, "So one minute you're going to faint away because you think I'm a murderer and the next you say I couldn't possibly be the right guy. You're not making any sense."

Taking a deep breath, Orihime said in a matter of fact tone, "You are the same height and build as the man and all your facial features and the way your hair looks are identical to the other man, I'd swear to that."

Seeming to sense that Ichigo was about to snap, Orihime went on, "However, he had ghostly pale skin and hair to match."

Leaning forward, Renji said, "Well, as you can see, Ichigo doesn't match that description, so where did the confusion come in?"

Orihime explained, "Well, the skin could have been powdered when I first saw him or he could have done some serious tanning over the years. As for the hair, that could easily be changed with dye."

Grinning at Orihime logical response, Renji pressed, "True enough. Anything else?"

Looking down at her hands, Orihime said softly, "The ghost who murdered my brother had a high-pitched voice and his laugh…" she shuddered and closed her eyes.

After a few moments, she drew in a deep breath as she raised her eyes to meet Ichigo's. He wasn't quite sure what he felt as he realized that she was doing her best to fight back horrible memories and a burst of tears at the same time.

"The ghost was laughing and grinning as he killed my brother," nodding towards Ichigo, Orihime said, "On the other hand, you scowl quite a bit."

"So Ma'am, you mean to tell us that-"

"Orihime."

Blinking in surprise, Ichigo could only think enough to ask, "What?"

"Please call me by my given name."

"Fine, whatever. What I was trying to understand is what you meant by 'as he killed my brother'."

Frowning slightly in confusion, Orihime said slowly, "I'm not sure I understand."

Looking Orihime dead in the eye, Ichigo asked, "Did you actually witness your brother being killed, or did you simply come across the body?"

The wide gray eyes closed again and Ichigo knew he had his answer so he asked another in a slightly gentler tone, "If you actually witnessed your brother being murdered, why do you refer to the murderer as a ghost?"

Opening her eyes again, Orihime answered with a question of her own, "How else would you refer to a being who savagely enjoys watching the pain of two victims, one whom he is physically killing and the other whom he is trying to mentally and emotionally shatter, and then when he has had his fill of blood, gore and pain just vanishes into thin air?"

This time it was Renji who asked, "He vanished?"

With a sigh, Orihime said, "You and twelve hundred lawyers or judges could try to dismiss it as a young ten-year-olds imagination playing tricks on her after the trauma and horror she witnessed or say that she blacked out without realizing it before coming back to her senses. There are lots of 'rational' ways to explain why the murderer vanished from my sight."

Her gaze turned steely as she finished, "But as surely as I say Detective Kurosaki could be the murderer's twin, I know that I saw the ghost vanish. You can believe me or not, but you will not convince me otherwise."

Silence again fell over the group for a time before Uryu stood and said, "I can't make you do anything, Orihime, but if I know Detective Kurosaki and Detective Abarai at all, they will want to ask you more questions. However, if you don't mind, I'd like to give you a few minutes to rest and compose yourself before the interview, which will also give us a chance to talk. Is that all right with you?"

Nodding her head, Orihime said, "Of course, you may speak privately. However," she pushed herself up and then got to her feet, "I shall go and make a tray of refreshments and maybe make myself a little more presentable as well."

"Very well," said Uryu with the slightest hint of a smile.

When Orihime had left, Uryu adjusted his glasses and said, "So it seems the murderer has resurfaced. Which poem did he use this time?"

Renji looked at Ichigo and gave him a look that said 'let me handle this for now' before he said, "I think Ichigo and I need to know why you're here first. From what I've seen, you have a personal connection with Orihime."

Crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, Uryu replied, "Yes, that is true. I have known her since high school and she is a dear friend of mine."

At Renji's raised eyebrow, Uryu asked, "What is it?"

Shrugging his shoulders and imitating Uryu's posture, Renji said carelessly, "Oh, I don't know. You looked about ready to flatten Ichigo back there when you first walked in and then when Orihime woke up…well, I don't know quite what I thought, but it didn't strike me as just friendship."

Clearing his throat and giving Renji a side-long glare, Uryu replied, "That's ridiculous. I come by every now and again to see how Orihime is doing and she returns the favor. Especially when I have to do nearly twenty hour shifts or more."

"Uh-huh, sure," said Renji in a tone that clearly stated he didn't completely buy Uryu's story, "Anyway, Ichigo and I are here because we are working the case and it sounds like you were just here on personal business, so…"

Instantly slipping back into his usual cool manner, Uryu replied, "Don't forget, though, that the last time this particular murderer showed up three years ago, I was the one the police came to in order to try and understand more about his mental state. So, while I may have a personal connection to this case, I also have a professional one."

Adjusting his glasses again, Uryu said, "Now, going back to my initial question, what poem was used this time?"

Leaning forward on his knees, Ichigo gazed at the floor as he recited, "'This thing called parting/Has no color/Yet it seeps into our hearts/And stains them with loneliness.' A poem by Ki no Tsurayuki."

Without taking his gaze from the floor, Ichigo said, "Renji, you mentioned that last night a woman was murdered by Nikuyoku."

Uryu's head snapped around to give Renji an incredulous look as he asked, "Is that true? Nikuyoku actually exists?"

Nodding grimly, Renji answered, "Yes. I just told Ichigo in the car that we've been able to discover why Kouman's behavior has seemed rather sporadic."

Uryu listened intently to all Renji said and then sat thoughtfully for a time. Neither he nor Ichigo moved a muscle, but it was quite clear from their posture and aura that both were thinking quickly through the facts…and they didn't like their conclusions.

Eventually, Uryu broke the silence by saying, "So at least now we have a pattern we can follow with the love notes left on the bodies and alternating nights, but I don't think we have enough facts or insight to get ahead."

Running a hand through his hair, Ichigo grumbled, "You're right, Uryu."

Shifting his gaze back and forth between the two, Renji inquired, "Why not?"

Massaging his neck, Ichigo sighed, "While the guy at the lab has been able to dig up unsolved murders with the same M.O. as Kouman and Nikuyoku and all sorts of other good information, we don't know how the two of them are picking their victims to begin with."

Folding his hands, Ichigo went on, "Obviously, Orihime's brother was a young man in his mid-twenties, but the last murder we investigated was of a middle aged man with a wife and teenage children. I'm sure that if we tried to come up with some sort of pattern in the victims, both for Kouman and Nikuyoku, it would be negligible at best and we certainly couldn't do it before tonight when Nikuyoku is sure to kill next."

"It would be simple enough to track murder weapons," said Uryu almost bitterly, "if they used anything as convenient as a gun or regular house knife."

Nodding in understanding, Renji finished, "But any trace elements left by the weapon are nowhere to be found in any database, so we can't figure out anything that way."

"So the question becomes," said Ichigo gravely, "do we simply sit back these next two nights and gather more data so that when they reappear next year we can have a better chance of finding them or-"

"No."

All three men flinched in surprise before turning to see Orihime standing in the doorway with a tray of lemonade and sweet breads. While she had taken the time to comb her hair and change into a skirt and blouse, Ichigo found himself thinking that this woman didn't waste a lot of effort on her appearance, which he found intriguing. Most other women would have spent an absolute age getting themselves perfectly ready for company, yet Orihime had taken only as much time as was necessary and he thought she made herself up just as nicely if not better than those other women.

Before Ichigo had a chance, Renji asked politely, "Pardon?"

Giving him a sheepish grin as she set down the tray, Orihime replied, "I'm sorry if I was rather rude just then," turning her eyes to look directly at Ichigo, she said, "but I don't think that's quite the right question to be asking right now."

Leaning forward slightly, Ichigo asked, "Then what should we be asking ourselves right now?"

In a calm voice, Orihime said, "You need to decide how you are going to eliminate all impossible facts of this case so that whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is the actual truth behind the mystery."

Frowning, Ichigo was about to say something when Orihime went on, "Paraphrasing from that same popular and wise mystery writer, are you going to try and make the facts suit your theories or have your theories coincide with the facts?"

She paused before she asked, "In essence, can you afford to believe that a flesh and blood human is committing these crimes or will you consider the possibility that something paranormal or supernatural is at work here?"

**Author's Note:**

Hope this cleared up a few nagging questions from the last chapter...and yet still aroused curiosity as to what will happen next.


	4. The Faux Memories

Under normal circumstances, Ichigo would have either scoffed at such a suggestion or brushed the matter aside before proceeding to more pertinent matters. But there was something, Ichigo couldn't be sure if it was Orihime's conviction or tone of voice or facial expression, in what she said that stirred up a vague feeling or memory. He vaguely felt as if Orihime's words had shed light on something that he had buried deep within himself…and he didn't like that feeling at all.

Trying to keep the slight feeling of panic at bay, Ichigo replied as calmly as possible, "I'm a detective, Orihime. I deal in facts and theories like you said, so those are what I will use to get to the bottom of this and catch this pair of cold-blooded, heartless murderers."

Rising to his feet, Ichigo looked down at Orihime as he asked, "Where is your restroom?"

Eyes widening in understanding, Orihime pointed and said, "Just down the hall and to the right."

Nodding his thanks, Ichigo left the room. He could feel the others looking after him, so he did his best not to look as unsettled as he felt. Once he was in the privacy of the bathroom with the door locked, Ichigo allowed his body to sag against the sink.

He felt sick. What was the matter with him? Was his lack of sleep catching up with him? Was he coming down with something? Unlikely, since all the symptoms had only started setting in after Orihime's question, but why should that disturb him so? They were only words. Nothing more.

She wanted him to believe that imaginary ghosts had committed all these murders. That two monsters were on the rampage all across the globe killing off anyone who happened to catch their fancy. Where was the sense in such a claim? Ghosts and monsters and boogey men didn't exist.

But then what could account for Orihime's absolute conviction that she had seen the murderer vanish right before her very eyes? Ichigo had interrogated cheats, murderers, rapists and numerous other forms of scum in the short time he had been an officer and detective. He had always had a knack for reading people ever since he was a boy and his specialized training had greatly improved his innate skills. When Orihime had made that statement, she had been telling the truth…or what she really and sincerely believed to be the truth.

Looking up at his reflection, Ichigo scowled at himself as he said, "Fine time for you to be falling apart. Too many people have died already, so pull yourself together."

Reaching over to turn on the cold water, Ichigo's eyes inexplicably focused on his own hands. As he reached down to cup some of the water between his palms, for some reason he compared his own large and calloused hands to Orihime's. Why he had even noticed her hands was beyond him, but Orihime's hands were small and white and…

Again, a wave of nausea swept through him and Ichigo gripped the sides of the sink as his knees threatened to buckle underneath him. This time, however, instead of a vague stirring in his memory, Ichigo was struck with an image. An image of small, white hands gripping a strange looking black knife. Only they weren't a natural white like Orihime's…they were a ghostly pale color…with black fingernails.

Then, as suddenly as it had struck, the image and feeling were gone. Breathing deeply for a few moments, Ichigo waited until his senses cleared before fulfilling his original goal of splashing water on his face. The cold water helped to clear away the last remnants of 'spider webs' from his brain. He was firmly grounded in reality again.

Straightening up, Ichigo looked in the mirror one final time. He scowled fiercely at himself before turning and opening the door. He would remain in control of himself just like always.

Returning to the living room, Ichigo heard Uryu saying something about poetry and saw Orihime look up at him as he entered the room. Her eyes widened momentarily before her expression relaxed into a kind smile. As melodramatic as it might seem, the sight of her smile stopped Ichigo in his tracks.

Under normal circumstances, such an event would have given Renji no end of amusement as it gave him prime teasing material for both Ichigo and Uryu at the same time, but as soon as Renji saw the look on his partner's face, he jumped to his feet and rushed to Ichigo's side.

Grabbing Ichigo's shoulders, Renji asked desperately, "Ichigo? Ichigo? Are you all right? What's the matter?"

As soon as Renji's hands touched him, Ichigo jumped and his focus was brought back to the present. At the sight of Orihime's smile he had seen…

Looking at Renji, Ichigo nodded as he said, "I'm fine. Just felt a little light-headed and tired for a second there."

"Are you sure you're all right?" asked Orihime.

Ichigo didn't answer right away, but looked into Orihime's eyes for a few moments. He looked at her intently and she returned the look just as steadily.

Finally, Ichigo said, "Yeah, I'm fine," then he turned back to Renji and said, "I'm going to step outside for a second to get some air and make a call."

Quirking a critical eyebrow at Ichigo, Renji nevertheless acquiesced saying, "Do what you need to do. Just know that I intend to bring Orihime back with us to the station."

"Whatever for?" asked Ichigo in some surprise.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Renji said firmly, "If for no other reason than to make sure she's not killed tonight. We could also use her sketches and description of her brother's killer to see if her 'ghost' is the one our previous murderers claimed to see."

"Her sketches?" inquired Ichigo before he looked to Orihime for an explanation.

Orihime walked over to collect a sketch pad and some drawing materials from the table and handed the pad to Ichigo as she said, "I work as a children's author and illustrator."

"I see," said Ichigo as he took the pad and opened it.

While art wasn't really something he took much interest in, Ichigo could definitely tell that Orihime was a talented artist. As he flipped through the pages he saw plenty of what might have been termed 'rough sketches' but it was quite clear to him whether a character was male or female and what emotion they were supposed to be feeling. Each line was carefully and lovingly drawn with no wasted effort and very few instances of an eraser needing to be used.

Reaching out, Orihime flipped to the page she wanted Ichigo to see as she said, "While we were waiting, I drew a quick sketch of what I remembered."

As he looked at the paper, Ichigo once again felt that nauseating feeling begin to rise like bile in his throat. If Orihime's testimony was to be believed and this face in front of him actually belonged to someone or something real, then he would be the first to admit that he and they could be twins. The only way Ichigo could be absolutely positive that Orihime hadn't just drawn a picture of himself was because of the facial expression. Everyone told him that he should smile more, but if he tried and it turned out to look this demented, then Ichigo was quite relieved that he had never practiced smiling more. The face looking back at him might be identical in looks, but it was quite obvious to Ichigo that this guy was totally off his rocker.

Raising his eyes again to look at Orihime, Ichigo was again struck by an image of a smiling face. One that was identical to Orihime's and yet with ghostly white skin, silver white hair…and a crazed expression like the one looking up at him from the sketch pad.

The images seemed to be memories, but Ichigo had no idea what they were from. What was going on?

**Author's Note:**

I know it's short, but I'd love to hear your opinions anyway! Good, bad or indifferent.


	5. The Background

Orihime was worried. For most other people, riding in the back of a police car would have caused more than a little bit of anxiety over the possible conclusions others would draw from the situation, but it certainly wasn't something that bothered Orihime at all. She was worried about Detective Kurosaki. While Renji had asked Orihime to speak with him in a familiar way while she had been sketching the picture of the culprit, she had had no such invitation from Detective Kurosaki, so she refused to refer to him by his first name even in her own mind.

Every so often Orihime would sneak glances at Detective Kurosaki from the back seat while carrying on a conversation with Renji. As soon as Renji had turned on the engine, Detective Kurosaki's head had hit the window and he was out cold.

At Orihime's shocked expression, Renji had given her a pacifying grin and said, "Ichigo's not usually such a narcoleptic mess, but he's been working double shifts a lot lately and getting very little sleep trying to close a bunch of cases. He's been up for about 24 hours straight now, so this cat nap will do him some good before we get back to HQ."

"I see," Orihime said simply as she gazed sympathetically at the detective a few more seconds before she looked back at Renji and asked, "How about you?"

Renji chuckled as he answered, "Oh, I've been getting plenty of sleep. Unlike the madman," he nodded in Detective Kurosaki's direction, "I have a wife who works at HQ and whose brother is the Chief, so I'm well fed and well rested at all times."

"Really?" asked Orihime intrigued, "Your wife and brother-in-law are your co-workers?"

"Yep," said Renji, "However, before you go thinking that my marriage came out of one of those 'office romances' or whatever, I've known my wife since we were kids. In fact, Ichigo and I became friends through her influence."

He gave Orihime a wry grin in the rearview mirror as he went on, "You might find this difficult to believe, but back when I met Ichigo, I hated the guy."

Orihime's eyes opened wider as she breathed, "What?"

Chuckling again, Renji replied, "Yep. And Ichigo felt the same way about me, so that made it all the easier for me to express my dislike for him."

"Why didn't you like each other?" asked Orihime in surprise.

"Well," said Renji slowly, "looking back I'd say it's because Ichigo and I were too much like the other. We were the same kind of guy and yet with significant differences."

"How so?"

Renji thought for a few moments before he said, "For one thing, we both were perceived as nuisances or deviants. Ichigo because of his hair, which he couldn't help since it was his natural color, but he refused to dye it a more 'acceptable' color in order to fit in. Me, because I grew up on the street and hung around with a tough crowd. Also didn't help that I got a number of tattoos before I was fifteen."

"I see," said Orihime slowly before she asked, "Well, what changed?"

"Two things happened," said Renji with a smirk, "First of all, we learned not to fight in Rukia's presence," before Orihime could ask, Renji clarified, "Rukia is my wife."

"I see," repeated Orihime.

"If it had just been Rukia keeping us from killing each other in front of her, I doubt we would have become such close friends," said Renji in a more serious tone, "but one day we something happened to force us to work together."

Orihime waited for Renji to continue and he eventually explained, "Not long after I turned sixteen, I was hanging out with Rukia and Ichigo when we saw a couple of guys hold-up a local business owner."

Renji's hands clutched the steering wheel as he said, "All those fine, upstanding citizens who would look down their noses at guys like Ichigo and I just stood back and watched as this old geezer, who'd worked himself to the bone to keep his business running yet was a kind guy with a nice family, was robbed blind."

Taking a deep breath and relaxing slightly, Renji said, "Well, one moment I was watching those two guys waving a gun in the old man's face from across the street and the next, I was planting my fist into one of the guy's faces. When I turned to get the other one, I saw that Ichigo had already taken him down."

"Oh," said Orihime, "and that was when you two became friends."

"Almost," replied Renji with a grin, "We never would have gotten a chance to were it not for what happened next."

Another slight pause to collect his thoughts before Renji explained, "Neither Ichigo or I had considered that there might be a third culprit, but there had been a guy driving what would have been their get-away car and that guy also had a gun."

Renji stopped for a moment as he looked behind him before switching lanes then went on, "Rukia saw him get out of the car and screamed out a warning. When I heard her voice, I immediately turned around and saw the gun trained on me and I froze with my mind a complete blank on what to do next."

"What happened?" asked Orihime anxiously.

Giving her another smile in the mirror, Renji said, "Ichigo happened. I would have died where I stood if Ichigo hadn't reacted and pushed me to the ground. He got a bullet ripping through his arm for his troubles, but fortunately it missed anything vital and passed clean through, so now he has a curious scar with which to fascinate the ladies."

Renji's eyes sparkled mischievously as he said, "At least, I think the ladies find him fascinating enough now with the way he cuts a good figure in whatever he wears and his 'get-away-from-me' scowl just seems to be an invitation for them to try their luck with him, but the scar is certainly a good bit of icing on that cake."

"O-oh," said Orihime quickly while trying to keep the blush from her cheeks, "I see."

"Yep," sighed Renji, "The guy's and I have been trying to hook Ichigo up with different girls for years. Let him maybe cut loose a little," he sighed again as he said, "But the guy's totally committed to his marriage."

"What?!" Orihime's voice shrieked an octave or two higher than the normal human voice should be capable of and the decibel jerked Ichigo awake.

"Ah! What?! What?!" demanded Ichigo as his whole body jerked to attention.

Orihime's whole body was shaking uncontrollably as she panicked and squeaked, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up! I was just startled to hear that…to hear that…"

Ichigo stared furiously at her and demanded, "Hear what?"

Orihime's mouth clamped shut and her eyes widened considerably as she refused to answer, so Ichigo growled, "What did you hear?"

Her face shook with exertion and Ichigo pushed again, "What did you hear?" which caused the floodgates to open.

"I couldn't believe that someone in such a position of trust in the community would debase his post by…by…fooling around!" Orihime snapped indignantly.

"What?" was all Ichigo could get in before Orihime went off saying, "You didn't strike me as the kind of person to cheat on someone and I can't believe I was so wrong about you and I also can't believe that your friends would help you run around-"

"What are you talking about?" cut in Ichigo, "Who said I cheated?"

"Your partner," said Orihime with a nod to Renji.

Whirling on his partner, Ichigo demanded, "What is she going on about?"

Renji opened and closed his mouth a few times, but did nothing to hide the glow of intense amusement in his eyes as he said, "I just made a joke about the guys and I trying to set you up on dates, but you wouldn't go on them since you're too committed to your marriage."

"Wh-what?" choked Ichigo, "You said what?"

Giving Ichigo a side look that was torn between looking sheepish and trying to keep himself from busting a gut laughing, Renji replied, "I meant to explain that you were simply married to your job, but…well, you know what happened."

Both Ichigo and Orihime stared incredulously at Renji in dumbfounded silence for a time before he said, "Well, we're here," and pulled into a parking spot.

"Good," growled Ichigo as he unbuckled, "since now I don't have to worry about how the car will crash after I kill you."

Holding up his hands defensively, Renji said quickly, "Hey, hey take it easy. I swear it was just a joke."

"Yeah," answered Ichigo as he balled up his fist, "Then you'll excuse me as I make a joke of my own."

Just as he was about to draw back his fist, Ichigo felt two small hands grip his own. He knew from the touch that he could easily throw it off and fulfill his desire to give Renji a black eye, but he stopped anyway. Turning his head, Ichigo's eyes met Orihime's and he felt his violent desires melt away.

"Please don't," Orihime said softly, "I'm the one who woke you up by jumping to conclusions and screaming. It was my fault, not Renji's."

Before Ichigo could say anything, Orihime's head and hands dropped as she said softly, "I feel so ashamed and embarrassed for what I said about you and I hope you'll forgive me."

Raising her eyes again, Orihime whispered, "Will you please forgive me?"

He opened and close his mouth a few times before he managed lamely, "Yea-I mean, yes. Sure I forgive you," and then he rubbing the back of his neck as he asked, "Forgive me for yelling at you?"

Orihime's smile returned as she answered sincerely, "Of course."

A few moments of rather awkward silence stretched between them before Renji finally said, "Well, okay then. If we have that squared away, why don't we head on in to get some work done?"

For an instant, Ichigo looked back at Orihime and was struck by a strong urge to keep her out of the police station. Some instinct was telling him that as soon as she walked through those doors, there would be no turning back.

However, the decision was taken out of his hands when Orihime herself asked pleasantly, "Shall we?" and then got out of the car.

Rubbing his face vigorously with his hands, Ichigo unbuckled and got out himself as he thought, "Need to quit being so ridiculous. When this is over, I'm going to take some vacation time and then come back to work and everything will be just like before."

And that was Ichigo's first unintentional delusion.

**Author's Note:**

A bit longer than last time, but certainly not as long as I usually do. However, I figure that shorter and more frequent updates now will prevent delays in updates later on.

Again, let me know your thoughts on this! Also, I really love the reviews I'm getting, especially those asking really good questions about where this might be going. Don't want to give away a lot, but I am really excited to get to a point where I have to explain more about the culprits and they have a confrontation with Ichigo and Orihime. Can't wait to get there!


	6. The Motivation

Inside the precinct building, there was the usual amount of chaos going on for the middle of the afternoon. The only time the police station was busier was around midnight and Renji had once quipped that it was really nice that all the crime in the city liked to contain itself mostly to twelve hour shifts. However, most of the people who came in the middle of the day were those who wanted someone to argue with over the fact that they got another speeding or parking ticket because they had a really good reason for doing it. Besides the cop had probably been sitting in his cop car stuffing his face when he suddenly saw their particular car and decided to pull it over (either because it was so rusty and old or brand-spanking new and shiny) just because he had nothing else to do, but he chose not to pull over another car that had been going way faster than them which was totally unfair.

Trailing behind Renji, Uryu and Orihime, Ichigo stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave anyone who came close to them a 'back-off-or-I'll-punch-you-and-then-arrest-you' scowl. Despite being in the back of the group, it worked quite well on all who made even the slightest motion in their direction.

It didn't take them long to reach Captain Byakuya's office and Renji immediately reached out to knock on the door. Because of the din, Ichigo didn't hear Byakuya's reply, but he had no trouble figuring out what it might have been as Renji opened the door a second later.

Still holding the knob, Renji nodded in greeting to Byakuya, who was sitting imperiously behind his desk, before he said, "Captain, Detective Kurosaki and I have brought in Ms. Orihime Inoue after having a small interview with her this morning? Would you like to talk with her now or have her wait outside for a while?"

Flicking his eyes over to Orihime, Byakuya studied her carefully before he raised himself up slowly and replied, "Please come in everyone and make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you, Captain," said Renji as he stepped aside and ushered everyone else in before shutting the door firmly behind him.

Coming around his desk, Byakuya gave Orihime another searching and yet totally unreadable look as he said, "Ms. Inoue. We meet again."

Inclining her head and giving Byakuya a half-pleased, half-sad smile, Orihime replied, "Yes. It has been quite some time."

Orihime suddenly jerked and turned to look at Renji before looking back at Byakuya in surprise as she said slowly, "Wait a minute…"

Frowning in concern and confusion, Byakuya asked quickly, "Is something the matter, Ms. Inoue?"

Her face beginning to flush, Orihime answered, "Oh no, nothing's the matter. I just made a connection in my own mind that I wasn't quite expecting."

While he didn't seem entirely satisfied, Byakuya nevertheless decided to let the matter rest for the time being as he gestured towards a chair and repeated, "Everyone, please sit."

Settling himself once more behind the desk, Byakuya pressed his fingertips together and appeared to look carelessly out his window as he said, "Begin."

Once again taking the lead, Renji started explaining about their visit to Orihime's home and what had happened there. Ichigo noticed that Renji skimmed over the part where Orihime fainted and instead said that she was completely shocked when she first saw Ichigo. For just a moment, Ichigo saw Byakuya's eyebrows draw together fractionally, but in the blink of an eye, Byakuya was once again calm and composed.

"So, because of Ms. Inoue's former connection with the murderer and ability to positively identify him on sight, I thought it best to provide her with police protection for now."

Byakuya was silent for a few moments before he replied, "I see. That was a wise decision in light of the situation."

Turning to face Renji, Byakuya asked, "Who do you propose?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Renji leaned forward and clasped his hands as he replied, "Most of the guys who might be used to protective duty are all working cases, as far as I know. Shuhei and Toshiro are both off working some sort of drug bust, Kenpachi is undercover in an underground fight club that's probably connected to Shuhei and Toshiro's case."

Having looked back and forth between the two men as they talked with her eyes showing more and more worry and confusion, Orihime interjected meekly, "Excuse me, Captain Kuchiki?"

Turning his attention to Orihime, Byakuya asked not unkindly, "Yes, Ms. Inoue?"

Clenching and unclenching her hands, Orihime said breathlessly, "Wouldn't it be possible for me to stay with Detectives Abarai and Kurosaki? I mean…I already know them…well, not very well, but still…"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," replied Byakuya, "Both detectives will be required to go back out into the field to investigate this case further and if there is any possibility that your life is in danger, leaving this building is absolutely out of the question for you."

Orihime seemed to deflate into her chair at those words as she whispered, "Oh, I see."

Ichigo didn't know what it was, but at the sight of her usual smile melting from her face, Ichigo felt a knot form in his stomach. Byakuya was one hundred percent right, but part of Ichigo wanted to brush that aside and agree wholeheartedly with Renji that anyone else remotely capable of protecting Orihime properly just weren't available, so Renji and Ichigo should be given that duty. Then again, as Ichigo fought to keep himself focused and alert, he knew that until he was allowed at least five straight hours to sleep and given a good meal, there was no way he could protect Orihime properly.

Just then, there was another knock on the door, to which Byakuya replied with a resonant and dignified, "Yes?"

The door opened to reveal Rukia Abarai and Officer Yamada standing there. Rukia walked briskly up to her brother's desk and deposited the files efficiently in front of him, while Officer Yamada hovered anxiously in the doorway carrying another stack of files.

Nodding to Rukia, Byakuya picked up one of the files as he addressed the hapless officer, saying, "Come in, Officer Yamada."

"Y-y-y-y-es Sir," stammered the rookie as his feet remained exactly where they were.

"If you would also shut the door behind you, I have something I believe I should discuss with you," said Byakuya calmly as he flipped through the file in his hand.

"Of course!" squeaked Officer Yamada as his body finally moved into action and completed each task Byakuya had delegated to him.

Ichigo started to feel the knot in his stomach tighten as Byakuya said, "Officer Yamada, this is Ms. Orihime Inoue. Ms. Inoue, may I introduce Officer Hanataro Yamada?"

"A pleasure to-OW!"

In his haste to turn around and bow politely, Hanataro bowed too low and wound up smacking his head into Orihime's. Her head was thrown back by the impact and her hand immediately flew up to caress her temple and Hanataro did the same.

Eyes watering in pain, Hanataro nevertheless exclaimed, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

Seeming to swallow down the pain, Orihime managed a pained smile as she waved her hands and assured him, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, really."

Before either one could continue the cycle of apology and reassurance, Byakuya interposed, saying, "If both of you are quite all right, we'll proceed."

Turning once again to give Byakuya a hasty salute, Hanataro yelped, "Yes Sir! Sorry Sir!" and stood miserably to attention.

While Ichigo pitied the guy slightly, he definitely didn't like where this conversation was going, so he said, "You're making a mistake, Captain."

"Really?" inquired Byakuya with an even tone but slightly frostier gaze, "How so?"

Returning Byakuya's glare with one of his one, Ichigo replied, "He's inexperienced for one thing. He was only hired in a few months ago and he's just starting to figure out how to work here. You can't just dump him into this situation."

"I can't, can I?" Byakuya said in a clipped tone, "And just who would you recommend for the position? Who would meet your complete approval?"

Knowing Byakuya had him there but not wanting to admit it, Ichigo said, "Like Renji said, any of the guys who've had any experience-"

Byakuya cut in, saying, "My point exactly. I don't have the luxury of choosing the best for this assignment, so I must choose from those I have available."

Speaking up for the first time, Rukia asked, "Captain Kuchiki, might Officer Yamada and myself be filled in on exactly what is going on."

Turning his attention to Rukia, Byakuya said in a kinder tone, "Yes, I think that would be best to do before we continue."

Nodding towards Orihime, Byakuya said, "Ms. Inoue is in need of protection as she is personally connected with the Nikuyoku and Kouman case. Her brother was one of the first victims to be claimed and she also saw the murderer's face clearly, so she is a valuable witness."

Pressing his fingertips together, Byakuya said, "For the time being, my plan is to post a guard on her that will stay with her inside the precinct at all times since I find it doubtful that our murderers would come in this building voluntarily. Should that prove to be inadequate, we will immediately turn her over to witness protection, however, I am only going to consider that as a last resort since I would like to have her on-hand should we need to ask her questions."

Reaching into his pocket, Renji drew forth Orihime's picture and handed it to Byakuya saying, "She also drew us a clear picture of the culprit as she remembers him."

Taking the picture from Renji, Byakuya studied it carefully before he looked back at Ichigo and said, "The likeness is quite unmistakable and yet completely different. It's quite remarkable."

Looking back at Orihime, Byakuya said, "This picture is very good. Would it be possible for you to possibly sketch out what he may look like now?"

Eyes widening in understanding, Orihime nodded vigorously and said quickly, "I can certainly try. It might take me a little lon-"

"AH!" screeched Rukia as she clasped her hands to her face and then pointed at Orihime and exclaimed, "It's you!"

Hands flying up to her face in complete surprise, Orihime asked in trepidation, "It's me, what?"

Rukia's only response was to race towards the door and thrust is open as she flung behind her, "Don't go anywhere! I'll be right back!"

Completely bewildered and confused and slightly worried, Orihime looked around the room and asked of no one in particular, "What…"

Before anyone could say anything, Rukia was back and carrying several books along with several plushy figures Ichigo had seen on her desk. She approached Orihime more slowly this time with a huge smile and her eyes positively glowing in excitement.

"It is you, isn't it?" asked Rukia in a tone that said she already knew the answer, "You're the Orihime Inoue, creator of Chappy's Universe, aren't you?"

Turning her attention to the paraphernalia nestled in Rukia's arms, it took Orihime a few moments to catch on, but eventually understanding flooded her face and she returned Rukia's smile as she said half in relief and half in humble gratitude, "Why yes I am. Would you like me to autograph your collection?"

"Would you please?" said Rukia in absolute hero worship, "These are all the things that I keep here to brighten my day, but Renji will tell you that I have an entire room at our house entirely decorated with Chappy things."

As she held out her arms to receive Rukia's precious offerings, Orihime's eyes widened as she asked, "Is that so? Well, I'm glad to hear that you love Chappy so much since she was the first character I ever created."

"Yes," said Rukia, "I remember reading in an interview of yours that you created Chappy when you were thirteen as a way to cope with losing someone close…"

Rukia's voice trailed off as her eyes widened and she looked at the picture Byakuya still held in his hands before she looked back at Orihime and said in a whisper, "Your brother. It was after you lost your brother, wasn't it?"

Nodding Orihime said in a soothing tone, "Yes, that's right. Chappy first came to me during a grief counselling session as the counselor recommended that I find some sort of outlet to help me sort out all my emotions."

Running her hand over the cover of one of Rukia's books, Orihime said, "Before the next session, I was sitting in the waiting room when a little girl and her twin brother sat next to me. At first, I was too lost in my doodles to notice them, but when a small hand suddenly reached out to point at my drawings, I looked up at saw them."

Smiling at the memory, Orihime went on, "They both liked my drawings and asked if I would tell them the story of my character. So, for the next fifteen minutes, I came up with a story and drew pictures to match. They were both delighted and soon decided to help me with the story. We had a grand time until my counselor informed me it was time for my appointment."

Rukia wiped her eyes as she said, "That's so sweet. What happened next?"

"Well, over the next few weeks, I saw them whenever I came in for my appointments and we came up with more and more stories together," replied Orihime, "Then for a few weeks, they didn't come and I missed them terribly, but I continued to sketch out stories as I waited for my session to begin. The little boy had come up with the name 'Chappy', so I kept the name and designed characters to go along with her."

Taking a deep breath, Orihime went on, "Finally, the boy and girl came back to see me at the office and this time their father came with them. It was then that I learned that their counselling sessions had concluded all those weeks ago, but the father had brought them back to see me one last time since the boy and girl had constantly talked about their friend who helped them make up such wonderful stories."

Lowering her head, Orihime said, "The father asked if he could speak with me privately and I gave the boy and girl all the stories I had come up with without them and followed him a little ways away."

She paused for a few moments before continuing, "He told me that the boy and girl had been in grief counselling for months after the death of their mother. A few days before her death, she had been involved in a car accident that gave her a slight concussion, but otherwise she was fine. However, that day, she tripped as she was coming down the stairs with laundry, hit her head and died several minutes later. The twins had been playing upstairs when they heard their mother cry out and fall down the stairs. The girl stayed by the mother's side while the boy called the two people he had been taught to call in an emergency: his father and emergency services."

Taking another moment to sniffle and wipe her eyes, Orihime said, "The father said that for months he saw very little improvement in his children, despite doing everything they were supposed to in the counselling sessions. Then," she choked slightly on the words, "apparently when he picked them up the day that we all met, he saw them both smile genuinely as they talked about their day, which was something he hadn't seen in a while."

Looking back up at Rukia with a quivery smile, Orihime said, "As the weeks went on, the boy and girl opened up with him about the stories they created with me and he said that…that…" Orihime covered her mouth momentarily before she went on, "he said that he would be forever grateful to me for helping his children learn to smile and enjoy life again with my drawings and stories."

Eyes shining with emotion and tears, Orihime finished, "Ever since that day, the one thing I wanted more than anything was to bring joy and smiles and laughter to as many people as possible through my drawings and doodles."

"That's just…I'm so…" Rukia tried to speak past her own tears before she suddenly flung her arms around Orihime's neck and cried, "I always knew that I would like you if I was ever fortunate enough to meet you in person, but you are just too much! I love you!"

"Whoa now, wait just a hare-brained minute," protested Renji, "Just what are you saying, Rukia?"

Releasing Orihime's neck just enough to turn an irritated and slightly puffy glare at Renji, Rukia inquired, "What are you so upset about, Renji? Didn't you just hear this amazing woman's backstory on how she created my beloved Chappy? Have you no heart at all?"

Raising his hands defensively, Renji said, "Yes, dear. I heard every word. But that doesn't mean I'm going to profess any deep emotional attachment to her like you've just done."

Wagging a finger at her, Renji went on, "On the day we married you vowed to be faithful to me."

"And I'm not breaking that vow, am I?" replied Rukia imperiously, "I'm saying all this right in front of you, so it's not as if I'm going behind your back. And besides," Rukia picked up a Chappy doll and squished it to her as she said, "I've loved Chappy much longer than you."

Sinking back in his chair, Renji intoned, "I can't believe you'd pick a stuffed animal over the father of your children."

Quirking an eyebrow at Renji, Rukia retorted, "Chappy helps to sooth me when I have morning sickness, while you're the one who gave it to me in the first place."

"Touché," he once again raised his hands, only this time in defeat as he said, "You win."

Interjecting before things could go even further off topic, Byakuya said, "Let's get back to the business at hand and that is to assign at least two officers to act as Ms. Inoue's escort and protection."

Turning to Ichigo, Byakuya said firmly, "I have no qualms if you wish to help while you are within the building, but I will brook no arguments over who I choose to assign to this task. Understood?"

Biting his tongue, Ichigo nodded curtly and turned to look resolutely out the window. In his peripheral vision, Ichigo could see Hanataro fidget nervously on the edge of his seat. The rookie looked as if a stare-down with a criminal would knock him out, so Ichigo would definitely be pulling double-duty as homicide detective and bodyguard.

"Orihime deserves that much at least," thought Ichigo before he quickly corrected himself, "Ms. Inoue. Ms. Inoue deserves that much."

Rubbing a hand across his face, Ichigo dismissed the slip as exhaustion. Sure, Orihime had asked him to call her by her first name, but the first rule of being a police bodyguard is to keep things professional and formal. It wouldn't happen again.

Another one of Ichigo's fanciful delusions.

* * *

><p>At last. He was able to sense her. She was nearby…but rage swirled within him at the injustice of it all. After so many years, he could finally sense her again, but now it was worse because he still couldn't get near her. The whole thing was tortuous.<p>

Turning his blazing golden gaze towards the police station, he cursed the ignorant oaf who was still too blind to see what was right in front of him. The same person with the same stupid sense of honor and quite frankly he was sick of it. He had spent the last thirteen years in absolute misery, chasing after the one person who could complete him and yet never able to reach her and all because of that honorable idiot.

Hearing a clock chime, he closed his eyes and smiled, knowing that she was thinking the same thing. Less than twelve hours to go and then he and his beloved would be closer together than they had been in years. He sighed blissfully.

"Soon, Nikuyoku," he whispered, "Soon they'll be out of our way and we'll be together again."

The next moment, he had vanished from the rooftop.

**Author's Note:**

And here we have a more considerable contribution to the story's plot.

Now, some of you will notice that I changed Shitto's name to Kouman. I did that purposefully and I am going to go back and change the name immediately in all the other chapters. The explanation for both names will be given when Ichigo and Orihime finally confront Kouman and Nikuyoku.

So, any thoughts on these new developments and our first official look through our villain's eyes?


End file.
